The variety ‘Oste Lightpur’ originated from a cross made in October, 2000. The female parent is a violet proprietary line OX-49 (unpatented). The male parent is ‘Denebola’, (patent status unknown) which is a violet commercial variety. Seed from this cross was sown in June 2001. In October 2001, single-plant selections were made for vegetative propagation using plant habit and flower color as selection criteria. One selection became the new variety ‘Oste Lightpur’.
‘Oste Lightpur’ is a product of a planned breeding program intended to create new Osteospermum cultivars with violet colored flowers, dark green foliage, and vigorous growth.
The new cultivar was created in 2000 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif.; and Andijk, The Netherlands over a two ½ year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif.; and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagation, and this novelty is firmly fixed.